ABOUT Us
Tiye Davis (She | Her) -
Co-Founder & COO
Tiye Davis (she/her) is a social justice activist, educator, relationship-builder, and problem solver working at the intersection of education and justice. She is deeply committed to amplifying, educating, and activating everyday people to take transformative action against injustice, with a strong belief in the power of youth, the centering of Black voices, and resistance expressed through joy.
Tiye holds an MBA from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business, as well as a bachelor’s degree from Temple University and a master’s degree from Louisiana College. Her work spans organizations such as the New Orleans Youth Alliance, Crescent City Corps, TrueSchool, Black Teachers Collaborative, Teach For America, and Tulane University, where she also served as an adjunct professor in the School of Architecture. She has contributed to the nonprofit sector through board service with the Louisiana Abortion Fund and Dancing Grounds, and through leadership roles with Black Feminist Futures and the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights Annual Celebration Host Committee.
Tiye has also participated in fellowships, including Emerging Leaders through the Greater New Orleans Foundation and Leaders of Color. At Umi Omi, she focuses on the internal and external partnerships that allow the organization to flow with clarity and intention, grounding its work in accountability, wisdom, and strategy while centering Blackness and humanity. A certified trauma-informed yoga practitioner, Tiye finds joy outside of work browsing homes on Zillow and convincing her partner to try new Pinterest recipes
Christiane Crawford
Peace@UmiOmi.org
Qasim Ifáṣọpẹ́ Davis (He | Him) -
Co-Founder & CEO
Organizations often struggle not because the vision is wrong, but because the structures supporting the work are unclear. Qasim Ifáṣọpẹ́ Davis works with leaders and teams to build the clarity, systems, and leadership practices that allow organizations to move with purpose and sustain their impact over time.
Through Umi Omi, Qasim partners with leaders navigating growth, transition, and complexity. His work includes strategic planning, executive and management coaching, organizational facilitation, and leadership alignment. He helps organizations clarify roles and decision-making, strengthen governance, and build management practices that allow teams to move with greater focus, accountability, and shared ownership.
For nearly two decades, his work has focused on helping organizations serving communities build the structure and leadership practices needed to sustain their work and deepen their impact.
Qasim’s work is grounded in his practice as a devotee of Ifá, a Yoruba spiritual tradition rooted in wisdom, balance, and right relationship. Within this tradition, he has been bestowed with the title Olóyè Bàbálájé Bàbálawo, which informs the way he listens, asks questions, and approaches leadership and organizational life.
Who We Work With
Sydd Jo.
Sydd@OffThePorchCreative.com
We celebrate our authentic selves
“Trust yourself. Think for yourself. Act for yourself. Speak for yourself. Be yourself. Imitation is suicide.”
- Marva Collins
The name Umi Omi reflects the spirit and foundation of our work.
Umi, meaning mother in Arabic, represents origin, care, and the nurturing foundation from which life begins.
Omi, meaning water in Yoruba, symbolizes movement, nourishment, and flow. It also represents wisdom, abundance, and wealth found in the depths of the ocean. This understanding draws on the wisdom and richness associated with Orisa Aje Olokun, which speaks to the depth, mystery, and abundance held within the waters.
Umi Omi was created from the understanding that our communities hold deep wisdom, creativity, and resilience. Too often, that brilliance is constrained by systems that limit access to resources, networks, and opportunity. Our work exists to help restore flow. We support leaders and organizations in building the capacity, clarity, and infrastructure needed to sustain their work and strengthen their communities.
At its core, Umi Omi is about remembering where we come from and honoring the wisdom of our ancestors while building toward a future where Black, Indigenous, and people of color can move from survival to thriving. Through strategy, leadership development, and organizational support, we help create the conditions where communities can grow, sustain themselves, and flourish.
Our work honors the power of collective movement and the belief that when communities are supported in building, leading, and sustaining their own work, abundance becomes possible.
Join us in this journey toward a more equitable and prosperous future for all.
TESTIMONIALS
Kristen A. Rome, Executive Director, Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights
Nathaniel Cameron Jr., Cultural Outreach Manager, Our Voice Nuestra Voz
Iriane McCray, Founder, The Writers Wing
Keshona Harris, Strategy Architect, Heiress Marketing